48-hour PCR report required to enter local eateries, malls

SHANGHAI announced a tightening up of nucleic acid testing requirements for restaurants and commercial venues yesterday over new COVID-19 community cases.

A 48-hour negative nucleic acid test report will be required to enter restaurants (including bars), shopping complexes (including department stores), supermarkets, wet markets, hair and beauty salons as well as bath and foot massages shops, in Shanghai from tomorrow, the Shanghai Commerce Commission said.

Public transport and other venues will still require a 72-hour negative report or a 24-hour proof of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, Shanghaifabu, the city’s official WeChat account, said.

Shanghai yesterday reported four COVID-19 community cases, who had been to multiple restaurants, bars and malls.

The three confirmed cases with mild conditions and an asymptomatic case live in Minhang, Jinshan and Jing’an districts as well as the Pudong New Area, according to the Shanghai Health Commission.

Among them, three men, aged between 17 and 36 years, tested abnormal during recent regular PCR screenings. The other case, a 30-year-old man, tested abnormal at a hospital after feeling uncomfortable.

They have been put under quarantined medical observation or treatment at a designated hospital, the commission said.

Apart from their accommodations, they had been to restaurants, bars and supermarkets in Minhang, Xuhui, Jinshan, Jing’an, Changning and Pudong.

A total of 937 close contacts of the new community cases had been traced and placed under central quarantine as of 4pm yesterday.

Among them, 829 have tested negative.

A total of 784,152 related people have been screened, and 777,698 among them have tested negative.

Five high-risk areas have been designated and put under lockdown, including their homes.

An increasing number of infections are being detected in Shanghai amid a nationwide resurgence. The city reported 11 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 119 asymptomatic infections for Saturday.

China reported 39,791 new infections on Saturday, of which 3,709 were symptomatic and 36,082 were asymptomatic, the National Health Commission said yesterday.

Beijing, Chongqing and Guangzhou reported the bulk of new infections.

Local cases in Beijing continued to jump, rising 66 percent to 4,307 cases, compared with 2,595 the previous day, local government data showed.

Chongqing, a southwestern city, reported 8,861 new locally transmitted infections, up almost 15 percent from the 7,721 recorded a day before.

Guangzhou, a southern city, reported a marginal fall in local cases at 7,412, compared with 7,419 a day before, local officials said.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen said it will limit restaurant and other indoor venues to 50 percent occupancy as part of its COVID prevention measures.

New arrivals to the southern city will be barred from entering venues such as theaters and gyms for the first three days, it also said in a notice on WeChat.

During an evening briefing, local authorities also required the majority of firms, staff and residents to work from home from Monday to Friday.